<p> Scene recognition performance is reduced when an observer undergoes a
viewpoint shift. However, the cost of a viewpoint shift is less when it is caused by
observer locomotion around a scene compared to scene rotation in front of a
stationary observer- a phenomenon called the facilitative effect of locomotion.
The present dissertation examined the characteristics of the facilitative effect of
locomotion, and the mechanism underlying its existence. In each of six
experiments, participants learned a spatial arrangement of five identical objects
positioned on top of a rotatable table. Participants were then blindfolded and one
object was relocated. Simultaneously, participants underwent a viewpoint shift of
various magnitudes. The blindfold was then removed and participants identified
which object had been moved. Chapter One showed that the facilitative effect of
locomotion is robust across a wide range of viewpoint shifts (Experiment la), and
that visual cues in the surrounding environment cannot account for this effect
(Experiment lb). The results of Chapter Two suggest that active control over the
viewpoint shift may partially account for the benefit of locomotion (Experiment
2a), specifically by providing participants with explicit knowledge regarding the
magnitude and direction of the viewpoint shift (Experiment 2b ). Finally, Chapter
Three showed that body-based cues available during locomotion (i .e.
proprioceptive, vestibular, etc.) facilitate performance beyond actively controlling
the viewpoint shift alone, and that those cues must be reliable and undisrupted to
confer a scene recognition advantage (Experiment 3a). On the other hand, simply remaining oriented within one's environment could not fully account for the
facilitative effect of locomotion (Experiment 3b ). These results provide an
integrative account of the characteristics and mechanism associated with the
facilitative effect of locomotion. Results are also discussed in the context of
current views on egocentric and object-based mental transformations. </p> / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:mcmaster.ca/oai:macsphere.mcmaster.ca:11375/19186 |
| Date | 08 1900 |
| Creators | Wade, Mark |
| Contributors | Sun, Hongjin, Psychology |
| Source Sets | McMaster University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
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